TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Rehabbing Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia will open the regular season on the 25-man roster so he can serve a five-game suspension stemming from last season before being placed on the injured list.Sabathia, retiring after the season, is expected to miss the first two or three turns through the rotation as he recovers from an offseason that included knee surgery and the insertion of a stent after a blockage was found in an artery from his heart.The Yankees will be short-handed for three games with Baltimore and a pair against Detroit while Sabathia serves the suspension for hitting Tampa Bay's Jesus Sucre with a pitch in his last regular season start of 2018.Jonathan Loaisiga was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilke-Barre on Saturday but will be recalled for the sixth game on April 3 against the Tigers. Loaisiga is expected to start the game or enter after a reliever serves as an opener."We're getting him ready to start," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "Whether we decide... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Cincinnati Reds All-Star second baseman Scooter Gennett injured his right leg while fielding a grounder against Milwaukee and was helped off the field.Gennett ranged to his left for a ball off the bat of Yasmani Grandal leading off the second inning Friday. Gennett slid to make the stop and threw to pitcher Robert Stephenson covering first for the out. Gennett went to his knees and was helped off by Reds head athletic trainer Steve Baumann and manager David Bell."I don't know exactly if it was when he fell or when he made the throw," Bell said. "He felt something in his groin.Cincinnati says Gennett was to have an MRI.The 28-year-old Gennett reached the majors with the Brewers in 2013 and was claimed off waivers by his hometown Reds near the end of spring training two years ago. He made his first All-Star team last season, hitting .310 with 23 homers and 92 RBIs.Top prospect Nick Senzel could be a candidate to replace Gennett. Senzel was reassigned to minor league camp earlier... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Cincinnati Reds All-Star second baseman Scooter Gennett injured his right leg while fielding a grounder against Milwaukee and was helped off the field.Gennett ranged to his left for a ball off the bat of Yasmani Grandal leading off the second inning Friday. Gennett slid to make the stop and threw to pitcher Robert Stephenson covering first for the out. Gennett went to his knees and was helped off by Reds head athletic trainer Steve Baumann and manager David Bell."I don't know exactly if it was when he fell or when he made the throw," Bell said. "He felt something in his groin.Cincinnati says Gennett was to have an MRI.The 28-year-old Gennett reached the majors with the Brewers in 2013 and was claimed off waivers by his hometown Reds near the end of spring training two years ago. He made his first All-Star team last season, hitting .310 with 23 homers and 92 RBIs.Top prospect Nick Senzel could be a candidate to replace Gennett. Senzel was reassigned to minor league camp earlier... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Cincinnati Reds All-Star second baseman Scooter Gennett injured his right leg while fielding a grounder against Milwaukee and was helped off the field.Gennett ranged to his left for a ball off the bat of Yasmani Grandal leading off the second inning Friday. Gennett slid to make the stop and threw to pitcher Robert Stephenson covering first for the out. Gennett went to his knees and was helped off by Reds head athletic trainer Steve Baumann and manager David Bell."I don't know exactly if it was when he fell or when he made the throw," Bell said. "He felt something in his groin.Cincinnati says Gennett was to have an MRI.The 28-year-old Gennett reached the majors with the Brewers in 2013 and was claimed off waivers by his hometown Reds near the end of spring training two years ago. He made his first All-Star team last season, hitting .310 with 23 homers and 92 RBIs.Top prospect Nick Senzel could be a candidate to replace Gennett. Senzel was reassigned to minor league camp earlier... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Gio Gonzalez is eager to reward the New York Yankees.The Yankees announced Wednesday they had signed the veteran left-hander to a minor league contract, hoping the two-time All-Star can help a hobbled rotation."They gave me something I couldn't turn down," Gonzalez said. "This is a pretty great opportunity. It's impressive to be in this locker room. It really does give you a 'wow' factor when you walk in."Gonzalez said the Yankees' offer earlier this week was the lone serious one he received."It's pretty much the only organization that saw something in me," Gonzalez said. "It's something to use as fuel. I think these guys have a really good shot this year to do something wonderful. I really want to be a part of a something like that."If added to the 40-man roster, he would get a $3 million salary while in the major leagues and the chance to $9 million in performance bonuses: $300,000 for each start through 30.The 33-year-old Gonzalez will have a bullpen session Thursday... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Yankees reliever Dellin Betances has inflammation in his right shoulder and will start the regular season on the injured list.New York general manager Brian Cashman said Betances has an MRI on Tuesday after the 6-8, 265-pound right-hander lacked velocity in his fastball."He's had a history in the past of slow starting, but this was a little bit more longer and more significant than we recalled," Cashman said.Betances, who normally reached the upper 90s, has topped at 92 or 93 mph throughout spring training.He curtailed his offseason throwing program awaiting the birth of his child and was given permission to report a few days late for spring training."I feel like I was trying to rush it," Betances said. "I just felt like I was behind the whole time. I'm not too concerned because I think it was just more for caution."Betances said he will not throw for three to five days."We need to give him a timeout, hit him with an anti-inflammatory so we can restart that clock," Cashman... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Yankees reliever Dellin Betances has inflammation in his right shoulder and will start the regular season on the injured list.New York general manager Brian Cashman said Betances has an MRI on Tuesday after the 6-8, 265-pound right-hander lacked velocity in his fastball."He's had a history in the past of slow starting, but this was a little bit more longer and more significant than we recalled," Cashman said.Betances, who normally reached the upper 90s, has topped at 92 or 93 mph throughout spring training.He curtailed his offseason throwing program awaiting the birth of his child and was given permission to report a few days late for spring training."I feel like I was trying to rush it," Betances said. "I just felt like I was behind the whole time. I'm not too concerned because I think it was just more for caution."Betances said he will not throw for three to five days."We need to give him a timeout, hit him with an anti-inflammatory so we can restart that clock," Cashman... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Yankees reliever Dellin Betances has inflammation in his right shoulder and will start the regular season on the injured list.New York general manager Brian Cashman said an MRI was done on Betances on Tuesday after the 6-8, 265-pound right-hander continued to lack velocity in his fastball."He's had a history in the past of slow starting, but this was a little bit more longer and more significant than we recalled," Cashman said.Betances, who normally reached the upper 90s, has topped at 92 or 93 mph throughout spring training.He curtailed his offseason throwing program awaiting the birth of his child and was given permission to report a few days late for spring training."I feel like I was trying to rush it," Betances said. "I just felt like I was behind the whole time. I'm not too concerned because I think it was just more for caution."Betances said he will not throw for three to five days."We need to give him a timeout, hit him with an anti-inflammatory so we can restart... [More]

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — The New York Yankees reached into the remainder of the free-agent market to bolster their ailing rotation, agreeing Monday to a minor league contract with Gio Gonzalez.If added to the 40-man roster, the 33-year-old left-hander would get a $3 million salary while in the major leagues and the chance to $9 million in performance bonuses: $300,000 for each start through 30. He was a far cheaper alternative to higher-priced options such as Dallas Keuchel."Being a couple guys down, to have a guy like him still available, a luxury to be able to add him just for some depth," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "He's certainly good enough to be very much in the mix of things. But we'll see how far along he is and if we're at a point where he's in play actually for the next couple, few weeks."New York ace Luis Severino is sidelined by right shoulder inflammation and will not be available until May at the earliest. In addition, CC Sabathia is likely to miss the first week or two... [More]

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — The New York Yankees reached into the remainder of the free-agent market to bolster their ailing rotation, agreeing Monday to a minor league contract with Gio Gonzalez.If added to the 40-man roster, the 33-year-old left-hander would get a $3 million salary while in the major leagues and the chance to earn performance bonuses. He was a far cheaper alternative to higher-priced options such as Dallas Keuchel."Being a couple guys down, to have a guy like him still available, a luxury to be able to add him just for some depth," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "He's certainly good enough to be very much in the mix of things. But we'll see how far along he is and if we're at a point where he's in play actually for the next couple, few weeks."New York ace Luis Severino is sidelined by right shoulder inflammation and will not be available until May at the earliest. In addition, CC Sabathia is likely to miss the first week or two as he recovers from an offseason that included... [More]

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — Gio Gonzalez and the New York Yankees agreed to a minor league contract Monday.If added to the 40-man roster, the 33-year-old lefty would get a $3 million salary while in the major leagues and the chance to earn performance bonuses.New York had been seeking more pitching following a shoulder injury to ace Luis Severino, who will not be available until May at the earliest. In addition, CC Sabathia is likely to miss the first week or two as he recovers from an offseason that included knee surgery and the insertion of a stent after a blockage was found in an artery from his heart.Right-hander Masahiro Tanaka heads a rotation that includes lefties James Paxton and J.A. Happ. Jonathan Loaisiga, Luis Cessa and Domingo German are competing for two open rotation spots.Gonzalez was 10-11 with a 4.21 ERA last year for Washington and Milwaukee, which acquired him on Aug. 31. He was 3-0 in five starts for the Brewers down the stretch, then started Games 1 and 4 of the NL Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was pulled after two innings of the opener and one inning of his second appearance, allowing one run in each.Gonzalez is a two-time All-Star and was 21-12 in 2012, his first season with the Nationals. He just finished the second option season of a contract that wound up being worth $65.5 million over seven seasons.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

TAMPA, Fla, (AP) — Chris Davis went 1 for 2 in his return from a strained left hip flexor as the designated hitter for the Baltimore Orioles against the New York Yankees on Tuesday night.Coming off a dreadful season, Davis is 2 for 14 with eight strikeouts in six spring games.He took a called third strike from Jonathan Loaisiga in the first and lined an opposite-field second-inning RBI single to left off the right-hander.Davis agreed to a $161 million, seven-year contract with the Orioles in January 2016. The two-time AL home run champion saw his production decline in 2017, and last season he hit .168 with 16 homers in 470 at-bats.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Aaron Judge got a $62,000 raise from the New York Yankees up to $684,300 in the right fielder's last season before becoming eligible for salary arbitration.Catcher Gary Sanchez was given a $49,400 hike to $669,800 as the team reached agreements with its young players whose salaries are under club control. He also will be eligible for arbitration next winter.Second baseman Gleyber Torres agreed to $605,200, up from last year's $545,000 minimum, and third baseman Miguel Andujar struck a deal for $617,600, an increase from $545,800.Outfielder Clint Frazier, sidelined for most of last season following a concussion, gets $563,300, a slight rise from $559,200. First baseman Luke Voit agreed to $573,200, up from the $546,500 in the majors last year as part of the contract he agreed to with St. Louis, which traded him to New York.All players have split contracts with lower salaries should they be sent to the minor leagues: Judge would get $311,150, Sanchez $310,200, Torres $240,210,... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman left Wednesday's 11-5 victory over the Miami Marlins because of back stiffness.Bregman walked in the first inning and was replaced after the second. He was playing his third spring training game following arthroscopic elbow surgery on Jan. 11.Astros manager A.J. Hinch said Bregman probably will be held out a day and return to the lineup on Friday.AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT AND CACTUS LEAGUESBLUE JAYS 9, PHILLIES 7Cavan Biggio, the son of Astros Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, and Anthony Alford both homered for the first time for the Blue Jays. Dalton Pompey hit two doubles and drove in three runs for Toronto. Aaron Sanchez made his second start, allowing a hit and two walks in 2 2/3 scoreless innings.Vince Velasquez made his first start for Philadelphia, allowing one run, one hit and two walks in one inning. Aaron Althier went 0 for 3, striking out twice and lowering his average to .143.ORIOLES 9, RAYS 6Mike Yastrzemski, a grandson... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman left Wednesday's 11-5 victory over the Miami Marlins because of back stiffness.Bregman walked in the first inning and was replaced after the second. He was playing his third spring training game following arthroscopic elbow surgery on Jan. 11.Astros manager A.J. Hinch said Bregman probably will be held out a day and return to the lineup on Friday.AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT AND CACTUS LEAGUESBLUE JAYS 9, PHILLIES 7Cavan Biggio, the son of Astros Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, and Anthony Alford both homered for the first time for the Blue Jays. Dalton Pompey hit two doubles and drove in three runs for Toronto. Aaron Sanchez made his second start, allowing a hit and two walks in 2 2/3 scoreless innings.Vince Velasquez made his first start for Philadelphia, allowing one run, one hit and two walks in one inning. Aaron Althier went 0 for 3, striking out twice and lowering his average to .143.ORIOLES 9, RAYS 6Mike Yastrzemski, a grandson... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman left Wednesday's 11-5 victory over the Miami Marlins because of back stiffness.Bregman walked in the first inning and was replaced after the second. He was playing his third spring training game following arthroscopic elbow surgery on Jan. 11.Astros manager A.J. Hinch said Bregman probably will be held out a day and return to the lineup on Friday.AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUEBLUE JAYS 9, PHILLIES 7Cavan Biggio, the son of Astros Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, and Anthony Alford both homered for the first time for the Blue Jays. Dalton Pompey hit two doubles and drove in three runs for Toronto. Aaron Sanchez made his second start, allowing a hit and two walks in 2 2/3 scoreless innings.Vince Velasquez made his first start for Philadelphia, allowing one run, one hit and two walks in one inning. Aaron Althier went 0 for 3, striking out twice and lowering his average to .143.ORIOLES 9, RAYS 6Mike Yastrzemski, a grandson of Red... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees ace Luis Severino expects to resume a throwing program in two weeks.Severino will miss his scheduled start on opening day on March 28 because of right shoulder inflammation. He was scratched from his first planned start of spring training on Tuesday after feeling discomfort after throwing his first slider in a pregame bullpen session."It's going to be tough for a little bit, but it's better it happened now than into the season or at the end of the season," Severino said Wednesday. "I think it's something that we can treat now and move forward into the season and I'll be able to pitch."Severino underwent an MRI on Tuesday."I wasn't scared because I knew it was nothing bad," Severino said. "Nothing about my shoulder. I think it was something about my muscles."The 25-year-old right-hander will receive a cortisone shot."You get optimistic from the MRI," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "Obviously it's a concerning situation until he's on the mound... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees ace Luis Severino expects to resume a throwing program in two weeks.Severino will miss his scheduled opening-day start on March 28 because of right-shoulder inflammation. He was scratched from his first planned spring-training start on Tuesday after feeling discomfort after throwing his first slider in a pregame bullpen session."It's going to be tough for a little bit, but it's better it happened now than into the season or at the end of the season," Severino said Wednesday. "I think it's something that we can treat now and move forward into the season and I'll be able to pitch."Severino underwent an MRI on Tuesday."I wasn't scared because I knew it was nothing bad," Severino said. "Nothing about my shoulder. I think it was something about my muscles."The 25-year-old right-hander will receive a cortisone shot."You get optimistic from the MRI," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "Obviously it's a concerning situation until he's on the mound for... [More]

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez is headed for Tommy John surgery and out for the season. New York Yankees ace Luis Severino is shut down, too — at least through opening day.Hours after Severino stopped warming up in the bullpen because of an inflamed right shoulder, the Royals announced more damaging news Tuesday: Perez will have surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow, keeping the six-time All-Star off the field for the entire year.Perez hurt the elbow during a workout last week and said over the weekend that he was harboring a slim hope he might be able to play through it. Instead, he is expected to undergo surgery Wednesday."There was nothing that can prepare us for this. There was no information we had that led us this direction," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. "Salvy was having no issues. He's asymptomatic. He has wear and tear, just like any 28-year-old catcher who's been squatting and catching since he was 12 years old. There was no warning sign... [More]

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez is headed for Tommy John surgery and out for the season. New York Yankees ace Luis Severino is shut down, too — at least through opening day.Hours after Severino stopped warming up in the bullpen because of an inflamed right shoulder, the Royals announced more damaging news Tuesday: Perez would have surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow, keeping the six-time All-Star off the field for the entire year.Perez hurt the elbow during a workout last week and said over the weekend that he was harboring a slim hope that he might be able to play through it. Instead, he is expected to undergo surgery on Wednesday."There was nothing that can prepare us for this. There was no information we had that led us this direction," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. "Salvy was having no issues. He's asymptomatic. He has wear and tear, just like any 28-year-old catcher who's been squatting and catching since he was 12 years old. There was no warning... [More]